Trial reportThe journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences2020
Warrior Wellness: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of the Effects of Exercise on Physical Function and Clinical Health Risk Factors in Older Military Veterans With PTSD.
Trial report in The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Relationship between physical activity and individual mental health after traumatic events: a systematic review.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2023Pooled it
- Diet quality and exercise in older veterans with PTSD: a pilot study.Translational behavioral medicine · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Preliminary Results from an RCT Examining the Effects of a Health Behavior Intervention as an Adjunct to Standard Trauma Therapy Among Adults with PTSD.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- The effect of physical activity and life events on mental health of college students: the mediating role of psychological vulnerability.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- A randomized, 12-month, parallel-group trial testing the effects of a cognitive behavioral healthy lifestyle intervention as an adjunct to standard trauma therapy among adults with PTSD: the I-CHAT study protocol.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Oxidative Stress in Military Missions-Impact and Management Strategies: A Narrative Analysis.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Combined effects of physical activity and life events on depression and PTSD in Chinese students aged 16-24 years.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Pilot Findings Indicate a Cognitive Behavioral Healthy Lifestyle Intervention for PTSD Improves Sleep and Physical Activity.Brain sciences · 2023Article
- Psychological and biological mechanisms linking trauma with cardiovascular disease risk.Translational psychiatry · 2023Review
- Can Physical, Psychological, and Social Vulnerabilities Predict Ageism?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Mental Health in Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMilitary veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) face significant physical and functional health disparities, which are often aggravated over time and in the context aging. Evidence has shown that physical activity can positively impact age-related health conditions, yet exercise trials in older adults with mental disorders are rare. Our study was a tailored and targeted pilot exercise intervention for older veterans with PTSD.
methodsFifty-four older veterans with PTSD (mean age = 67.4 years, 90.7% male, 85.2% non-white) were randomized to supervised exercise (n = 38) or wait-list usual care (n = 18) for 12 weeks. Physical activity (MET-min/wk) and aerobic endurance (assessed with the 6-minute walk test) were primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes were physical performance (strength, mobility, balance), cardiometabolic risk factors (eg, waist circumference), and health-related quality of life.
resultsAt 12 weeks, a large effect of the intervention on physical activity levels (Cohen's d = 1.37) was observed compared to wait-list usual care. Aerobic endurance improved by 69 m in the exercise group compared to 10 m in wait-list group, reflecting a moderate between-group effect (Cohen's d = 0.50). Between-group differences on 12-week changes in physical performance, cardiometabolic risk factors, and health-related quality of life ranged from small to large effects (Cohen's d = 0.28-1.48), favoring the exercise arm.
conclusionParticipation in supervised exercise improved aerobic endurance, physical performance, and health-related clinical factors in older veterans with PTSD; a medically complex population with multiple morbidity. Group exercise is a low-cost, low-stigma intervention, and implementation efforts among older veterans with PTSD warrants further consideration.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.